We need a non-sectarian Iraqi government and a non-sectarian response to ISIS - so say the politicians, all singing from the same hymn sheet. But it's easier said than done of course. Not least when powerful Shi'a politicians in Iraq continue to shield their religious brethren with the AK47s and a record of using them against Sunni civilians.

They're trying to take the region back to a mythical past that never existed in the first place. They remind me of the Year Zero fanatics of the Khmer Rouge. Erase the present. Start again. ISIS, you might say, are time bandits. Or at least... definitely bandits.

What's in a name? Isis used to be an Egyptian goddess. The ideal mother and wife; patroness of nature and magic. Now ISIS refers to brutal violence, extremism, and war. Will the Islamist movement cause oil prices to explode?

There are an estimated four hundred British fighters currently fighting in Syria. The question as to how the Muthanas of this world join designated terrorist groups like ISIS is more complicated than the media would like you to think. The story of Aseel and Nasser Muthana illustrates this point well.

For the mullahs in Tehran, the fall of Maliki and his replacement with a non-sectarian, fully democratic government in Baghdad would be anathema and the Iranian President Rouhani has already stated that he will intervene in Iraq to stop the terrorists.

The conclusion must be that this election - the first to take place in Iraq since the withdrawal of American troops - has been significantly corrupted to the point where the result, when it finally emerges, will almost certainly be fraudulent.

The differences between Sunni and Shia Islam are political in origin, and remain so to this day. The way that Muslims are positioned throughout the world (70% Sunni, and 20% Shia) has heavily informed the politics of various countries and created much geopolitical tension and associated extremism between the two sects.

The unfolding tragedy in the Iraqi city of Fallujah seems to have slipped off the international radar screen, as the focus of the global community drifts from Syria to Kiev and back again. The humanitarian situation in Fallujah is dire.

Iran is at a major crossroad. There is a growing middleclass, which is educated and wealthy, but also allergic to religion. Islam has become a hate-word for many, representing repression, lack of freedom and imposition of anti-modern values.